Giving thanks for crab cakes, red snapper, steak and tacos

My Thanksgiving appetizer of handmade Phillips Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes from Costco Wholesale with Whole Foods Market's Roasted Salsa Verde and a side of organic purple sweet potatoes, which I mashed with extra-virgin olive oil, cinnamon and other seasonings.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I happily celebrated another turkey-free Thanksgiving this week, filling up instead on great seafood dishes, mashed purple sweet potatoes and an organic spring mix salad with crunchy pomegranate seeds.

And as we did before I stopped eating meat and poultry nearly five years ago, we don't have leftovers from a whole bird, because my wife roasts only the most flavorful dark-meat parts.

I started my feast on Tuesday night with a takeout order of fish tacos from Taqueria Los Gueros in Englewood.

On Wednesday night, I threw together a dish of pasta with sardines, using leftover bottled sauce in the refrigerator and a few ounces of organic whole-wheat capellini, which are just a little thicker than angel hair and cook in three to four minutes in a shallow pan (no need to salt the water).

And for breakfast on Thursday morning, I prepared a 10-inch egg-white frittata with smoked wild salmon and Roasted Salsa Verde from Whole Foods Market.

My Thanksgiving entree was a whole red snapper prepared by a family friend and leftover wild-caught U-12 shrimp from H Mart in Englewood that my wife marinated in fresh lime juice and chopped garlic.

Pre-Thanksgiving takeout

At Taqueria Los Gueros, 48 W. Palisade Ave. in Englewood, we took advantage of Taco Tuesday, when 5 Pastor, Carnitas or Pollo tacos are only $4.99.

But my wife, who ordered the takeout, said the server wouldn't give her any fresh pineapple, an essential ingredient in a Taco el Pastor, and the way it comes when you eat it there.

The Taco Tuesday price is $1 less than what Pastor tacos cost the rest of the time.

She brought me an order of four fish tacos topped with avocado slices, what the taqueria calls Mexican Tacos ($8), but the portion was noticeably smaller than what I was served at Los Gueros in March.

I was in Englewood late Wednesday afternoon and stopped at Balthazar Bakery, 214 S. Dean St., for two $2 baguettes, waiting on line behind six or seven other customers.

Then, I stopped at Jerry's Gourmet & More at 410 S. Dean St., where I was surprised the hordes of pre-holiday shoppers left behind three Meals To Go, those complete restaurant-quality takeout dinners that are cut to $5.99 after 4 p.m.

Organic purple sweet potatoes from Whole Foods Market with conventional sweet potatoes from Trader Joe's. I mashed about 2 pounds of each with extra-virgin olive oil after boiling the skin-on sections together for about 45 minutes. The water turned purple.

Thanksgiving

For breakfast, I prepared a 10-inch frittata with Costco Wholesale's smoked wild salmon. 

This week, my wife paid $15.99 for a 1-pound package of Kirkland Signature Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon, close to the $15.59 the sliced salmon cost in March 2013. This year, the price had suddenly risen to $18.89.

For our Thanksgiving dinner, I started with two wonderful Phillips Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, also from Costco, and delicious mashed organic purple sweet potatoes.

For $21.99, you get six frozen 3-ounce crab cakes (about $4 each). The first ingredient listed is crab meat.

My entree was a whole fish and wild-caught shrimp with chopped garlic and lime juice.

A few hours later, I had a simple salad of organic spring mix and pomegranate seeds, both from Costco.

The meat eaters in the family really went to town, preparing naturally raised turkey drumsticks from Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff, heating up a fully cooked naturally raised ham from Wellshire, and cooking oxtails and rice with pigeon peas.

I drank a red wine from Siciliy.

A wedge of smoked wild salmon frittata with roasted green salsa I made for my Thanksgiving morning breakfast and served over organic quinoa.

This morning, I had pasta and eggs -- a wedge of frittata with leftover organic whole-wheat capellini and sardines.

I used a 16-ounce carton of the 100% Egg Whites from Costco Wholesale with chopped garlic, scallions, grated sheep-milk's Pecorino Romano cheese and a little low-fat milk before I poured it into a preheated 10-inch pan with olive oil on the stove, below.

As the crust set, I added a half-pound of sliced Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon from Costco Wholesale, where a 1-pound package was nearly $3 less last week. 

The frittata finished cooking under the broiler. I spooned on Whole Foods' Roasted Salsa Verde in the last few minutes.

A takeout order of Mexican Tacos from Taqueria Los Gueros in Englewood. Two corn tortillas are used for each taco. The green salsa that comes with them is hot and the red salsa is really hot. You also get marinated onions and jalapeno peppers.

A complete Grilled Hanger Steak takeout dinner from Jerry's in Englewood includes bowtie pasta with pesto, broccoli with garlic and steamed vegetables. Two other dinners contained roasted pork chops.

The price for a Meal To Go is cut to $5.99 after 4 p.m.

I ignored the many temptations at Balthazar Bakery, ordering my usual, two crusty baguettes, still only $2 each 12 years after the retail store opened.

Shopping for food here and there

Image via Wikipedia
Inside a Trader Joe's. The Paramus store is selling holiday hams that are preservative-free, but contain antibiotics.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss this week's food shopping, which covered a lot of ground, and the last duck egg of six I bought for Thanksgiving.

International Food Wine and Liquor Warehouse in Lodi. H Mart in Englewood. Trader Joe's in Parmaus. Shop-Rite in Englewood. Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.


Round and round I go as I try to satisfy my family's demand for fresh food with a globe-spanning diversity -- at prices that constitute a good deal.


On Monday, I drove over to National Wholesale Liquidators in Lodi in search of a Sony Radio Walkman my wife wanted, but spent most of my time looking over the food there and in the adjacent International Food Warehouse.


Although signs tell you what a great deal you're getting, I was shocked at how few items were being sold at lower prices than other stores. Beer and wine prices seemed high.


I bought two quarts of  Lowell 100% pomegranate juice from the country of Georgia at $2.99 each, and two half-gallons of Middle Eastern-style yogurt drink at $4.59 each.


The Karoun-brand, all-natural Yogurt Drink comes all the way from California, so I'm wondering why the store doesn't carry yogurt drinks made and sold in Paterson, where I usually buy them.


I saw imported pasta in fancy, cellophane-wrapped boxes for $3.99 or $4.99, and that was for only 8 ounces, meaning this Italian product goes for $8 to $10 a pound. Ridiculous.


On Tuesday, after a bowl of Yankee bean soup and a cup of coffee at the Suburban Diner on Route 17 in Paramus, I drove less than a mile to Trader Joe's.


I picked up 2 pounds of organic D'Anjou pears in a bag for $2.49; 12 ounces of Trader Joe's Sliced Jalapeno Yogurt Cheese for $4.79; and a small block of Sharp Cheddar Cheese made with milk from grass-fed cows in New Zealand for $3.62 ($5.49 a pound).


Trader Joe's sells a lot of preservative- and antibiotic-free bacon, cold cuts and hot dogs, so I was disappointed to see its holiday hams are nitrite- and nitrate-free, but appear to be from hogs that were raised on antibiotics and growth hormones.


That afternoon, my wife stopped at H Mart in Englewood for fresh, whole striped bass ($3.99 a pound); a Korean-style seaweed, rice and vegetable rice roll from Jinga ($4.99), and scallions (three for $1).


My wife prepared the fish on the stove top in a covered skillet with sliced onion and sweet pepper, extra-virgin olive oil and seasonings, and I removed mine after about 20 minutes.


I loved all the meaty flesh and a minimum of bones, enjoying the fish with stir-fried noodles and vegetables I picked up at H Mart last week, and a big salad. Don't forget to eat the tender  "cheeks" from the fish head.


At ShopRite in Englewood on Wednesday, I picked up two packages of antibiotic-free Readington Farms chicken parts, and one package of Coleman Organic chicken drumsticks -- all on sale.


A 5-pound box of clementines from Spain were $5.48, an in-store special, and they proved far sweeter than the first box of Spanish clementines I got there for $4.99.


The Moroccan clementines I bought at ShopRite for $4.99 were bigger than their Spanish rivals, but several turned black outside and in, and I had to throw those away. I left them on the counter, but maybe I should have refrigerated them.


Later Wednesday, I stopped at Costco in Hackensack for Jona Gold apples (5.5 pounds for $5.99); Newman's Own 100% Grape Juice ($6.99 for two 96-ounce bottles); bananas, 3 pounds for $1.39; and three, 32-ounce bottles of Classico Traditional Tomato-Basil pasta sauce for $6.99.


Four, 7-ounce cans of Genova-brand Solid Light Yellowfin Tuna in olive oil were $7.49 or about $1.25 each; and six quarts of Kirkland Signature Organic Chicken Stock were $10.99 or about $1.83 each.


Why a duck egg?


That night, I finished the last of six duck eggs I bought at the Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff.


Duck eggs are about twice the size of a typical chicken egg, and they have much larger yolks, perfect for frying sunny side up in olive oil and eating over brown rice, as I did, mixing the wonderful yolk and the nutty kernels for a terrific taste combination.


But the shell of a duck egg is much thicker, and takes a bit of effort to crack. I ate three duck eggs in Korean-style, soft-tofu soup I made at home.


The best result I got -- a molten yolk -- was when I boiled the soup on the stove, broke an egg into it and let it cook for only 1 minute. Then, I could break the yolk over the brown rice I ate as a side dish.


At $1.25 each, these duck eggs are a once- or twice-a-year splurge.


International Food Wine and Liquor Warehouse, 
370 Essex St., Lodi; 201-368-9511.


Trader Joe's, 404 Route 17 north, Paramus;
201-265-9624.


H Mart, 25 Lafayette Ave., Englewood;
201-871-8822.


ShopRite in Englewood; 201-816-8330.


Costco Wholesale, 80 S. River St., Hackensack.


Goffle Road Poultry Farm, 549 Goffle Road, Wyckoff;
201-444-3238.

Checking out the price of turkey

Why microwave a sweet potato in plastic wrap?

Editor's note: Today, I discuss turkey prices, shrink-wrapped sweet potatoes, clementines from Morocco and reusable-bag credits.

In the week before Thanksgiving, I've started to think of a holiday menu for the meat eaters in my family and for the non-meat eater -- me.


On Monday, I saw fresh Washington State organic turkeys at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack for $2.69 a pound.


At Whole Foods Market in Parmaus on Tuesday, free-range turkeys were $2.29 a pound and free-range organic turkeys were $3.99 a pound.


There were no organic turkeys out at Fairway Market in Paramus, but Murray's all-natural turkeys were $3.99 a pound.


All of the turkeys at the three stores were raised on vegetarian feed and without antibiotics. Federal law prohibits the use of hormones in poultry.


At ShopRite in Englewood on Tuesday, frozen turkeys were $1.29 a pound and fresh turkeys were $1.99 a pound. I didn't see any organic turkeys.


Live turkeys


At Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff, the price of a live turkey was $2.39 a pound. By today, the fresh-killed poultry operation had sold out all of its live wild turkeys.


The farm says fresh-killed poultry results in a "juicier, moister, more succulent and tastier bird, with no residual sour fats."


All of the turkeys are allowed to roam. They are raised on vegetarian feed and without antibiotics, according to the farm. Here's a link to the Web site: Live poultry farm


My wife and son have asked for a turkey and a small ham for Thanksgiving. I've decided to make a spicy, Korean-style soft-tofu stew with shrimp and kimchi for my holiday dinner.


I saw a recipe for thinly sliced sweet potatoes and prunes I might try, but will substitute extra-virgin olive oil for the butter listed. I also might try making a cranberry salsa with tequila, plus steam a bunch of fresh green beans or broccoli florets.


Plastic potatoes


On Tuesday, I was looking for sweet potatoes at the ShopRite in Englewood. I saw a sign for them at $1.29 a pound, but the only ones I found were shrink wrapped in plastic.


Odd, I thought. When I took them to the register, they rang up as "Microwave Yam" at two for $3. The three I had weighed about a half-pound each, so that works out to $3 a pound.


At home, I read the small print on the wrapper: "Chef's Pride, microwave in the wrapper, triple washed, flavor-seal wrap, microwave on high 6-8 minutes."


That's ridiculous. Microwaving a sweet potato in plastic surely would result in the transfer of chemicals to the potato. 


That's why it's never a good idea to microwave food in a plastic container. Transfer it first to a glass plate or bowl and cover it with a paper towel, not plastic wrap.


I also have a microwave with a quick-cook setting that bakes potatoes in 8 to 10 minutes, without plastic wrap.


Today, I took the shrink-wrapped potatoes back for a refund, but couldn't find any loose sweet potatoes in the produce section.



On Tuesday, I did pick up a 5-pound box of clementines from Morocco for $4.99 that I passed up on Monday. They are bigger than the Spanish clementines from Spain I found at Costco for $5.99.


No credit for bag


Today and last week, a cashier at the Englewood ShopRite failed to give me a 5-cent credit for a reusable bag and said I would have to go to the customer service counter to get it.


Both times, I did so just to get my nickle. Is this a new, deliberate policy that hopes many customers simply won't bother?


Whole Foods Market and H Mart, the Korean supermarket chain, give customers a 10-cent credit for each reusable bag. Trader Joe's and New York-based Fairway Market give nothing.


Until recently, H Mart gave a credit of 20 cents a bag.

What you buy when meat is off the table

Image via Wikipedia

The First Thanksgiving by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863-1930).

On my weekly, pre-Thanksgiving swing through Costco in Hackensack on Monday, I spent $123.77 -- every penny on food.


I plan to eat a homemade carrot-and-fennel soup, and lobster ravioli for my holiday dinner, while serving my wife, son and guests turkey drumsticks and thighs from Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff.

At Costco, I picked up more Pasta Prima lobster ravioli ($11.99), enough for two dinners, and a two-pound bag of kale ($2.99) that I plan to sautee with extra-virgin olive oil and garlic as a Thanksgiving side dish.

My other purchases:

• Kirkland-brand smoked and sliced, wild-caught sockeye salmon ($14.99 for 16  ounces).
• Kirkland-brand frozen, wild-caught Pacific mahi-mahi fillets ($15.99 for 48 ounces).
• Kirkland-brand frozen, wild-caught Pacific cod fillets ($14.99 for 32 ounces).
• Earthbound Farm organic spring mix salad ($4.49 for 16 ounces).
• Jarlsberg sliced, reduced fat cheese ($8.99 for 32 ounces).
• Bartlett pears ($6.49 for 12).
• Newman's Own 100% grape juice ($6.99 for two, three-quart bottles).

I also bought cans of Le Sueur sweet peas, and Kirkland-brand sweet corn kernels and fancy green beans to donate to the Center for Food Action in Englewood, which said it was seeking canned vegetables and potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner baskets.

Hearty meals for winter days

Image by gsbright via Flickr

Some of my friends say I shop for food too often, but that gives depth to what I have in my freezer and refrigerator -- just what you need when a snowstorm keeps you in. (Photo: Not my freezer, but you get the idea.)

Our dinner last night came from the freezer -- drug-free turkey from Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff. My wife covered the thighs and wings with jerk marinade, we roasted them for about an hour and served them with instant mashed potatoes and salads of Earthbound Farm organic spring mix.

There are leftovers -- perfect for quick turkey tacos with hand-formed tortillas from Trader Joe's and Goya Salsa Taquera.

Breakfast yesterday was sauteed cabbage, mustard greens and salted codfish, served with fritters my wife made from a few sweet bananas that had turned black on the counter.

This morning, my son made a tasty frittata with onion, tomato and leftover chicken sausage. I ate mine with Fattal's pocket bread, Costco taboule salad, kimchi and some wild salmon -- smoked and steamed.

I'll probably have a couple of turkey tacos for lunch, then check the freezer for what we'll be having for dinner tonight.

Our half-turkey Thanksgiving

Faced with a 13-pound heritage turkey and the inevitable leftovers of mostly white meat (not our favorite), I've decided to cut our fresh bird in half and roast it with Middle Eastern spices, sweet white potatoes and yams, and dried apricots. The other half will go into the freezer. Next year, we'll invite relatives or friends or go back to preparing only turkey drumsticks, thighs and wings from Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff.

I got into this mess because I wanted to try one of those sleek turkey breeds that were around for hundreds of years before the industrial white broad-breasted turkey was developed and pumped full of antibiotics and butter and who knows what else. When I was growing up in Brooklyn, my Sephardic Jewish mother would roast a turkey for Thanksgiving, but always prepare side dishes of  white rice, sour sauce with kibbe, stuffed grape leaves and other specialties.

Here is the rest of this afternoon's menu in Hackensack:


Sausage-apple stuffing and cranberry relish form Abma's Farm
Quick collard greens with garlic
Pumpkin pie from Mazur's Bakery in Lyndhurst
Spanish fig cake served with Manchego cheese and almonds
New beuajolais wine

Happy holiday to all.

Thanksgiving food and wine run

Image via Wikipedia

I made three stops this afternoon, gathering ingredients, prepared dishes and wine for our Thanksgiving dinner at home.

First, I went to Total Wine & More in River Edge to replenish my supply of red wine. The most expensive bottle I bought was $9.99 -- a malbec from Argentina. I also brought home shiraz, bordeaux, pinot noir and some Italian bubbly, nine bottles in all for a total for $70.53, including tax and a $5-off coupon on the purchase of $50 or more. I'm no expert; all I want is drinkable wine. (135 Kinderkamack Road, River Edge; 201-968-1777)

My second stop was the store at Abma's Farm in Wyckoff, where I picked up prepared sausage-and-apple stuffing ($9.99), cranberry relish (cranberries, sugar and oranges, $6.49), yams and sweet white potatoes. We already have a pumpkin pie. (700 Lawlins Road, Wyckoff; 201-891-0278)

Finally, I drove to the Goffle Road Poultry Farm, also in Wyckoff, to pick up the sleek heritage turkey I had reserved. It was a 12 -pounder for $32.25, which seems low. When I got home, I called and was told they charge $2.29 a pound live weight, before the bird is killed, cleaned and so forth.  (549 Goffle Road, Wyckoff; 201-444-3238)

I'm still not sure I got the right turkey. This is what I wrote Oct. 8 after calling the poultry farm:

This year, we plan to buy a heritage turkey, which was developed in the United States and Europe over hundreds of years. The Narragansett variety sold in Wyckoff will be going for $5.95 a pound (live weight) and the bird we get will weigh 8-10 pounds after gutting and cleaning. Compared to the ungainly, tasteless, broad-breasted white turkey, the Narragansett is an athlete with flavorful meat.

It was pretty busy today and tomorrow will be a zoo. I'm not sure what I will do. If the bird I have is not one of the heritage breeds, at least I know it was raised  on a vegetarian feed and without antibiotics. Last year, I wanted a heritage bird, but the Web site didn't mention the farm had them and we settled for turkey parts.